By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
The man who turned things around in the semifinal game in favor of Maccabi was David Blu. Ten years ago, he had won his first Euroleague title, again as a member of Maccabi, scoring 9 crucial points in the semifinal game against – you guessed it – CSKA Moscow.
In the final of 2004 he had 20 points, coming from the bench. but now his story is even more intriguing. Blu had retired for one year, he returned to basketball this season, he says that maybe this will be his final year, and now he had 15 points in the incredible semifinal win, once more over CSKA Moscow.
So was he expecting something like that when he decided to return last summer: “No I did not, that I would be in the Final Four. But when I came back, I did understand that we have a team which can be in the Final Four and here we are”.
Blu is expecting in Milan an atmosphere similar to the 2004 Final Four: “That was the greatest moment of my basketball career. The fact that happened in Tel Aviv made it more special and the atmosphere last night and probably tomorrow night will be like Tel Aviv. Expect to see a lot of yellow”. So the third time Maccabi plays this season Real Madrid can be a charm? “It was against CSKA”.
And don’t be so sure that Blu will retire in the summer and that’s not depending in tomorrow’s result: “Either way I have a lot to think about. I can make an argument either way and that remains to be determined”.